The greed of hunting makes (one) oblivious of being a prey: he (the hunter) tries to win hearts (though) he has lost his own.
حرص صیادی ز صیدی مغفلست ** دلبریی می‌کند او بی‌دلست
Be not thou inferior to a bird in (thy) seeking: (even) a sparrow sees (what is) before and behind.
تو کم از مرغی مباش اندر نشید ** بین ایدی خلف عصفوری بدید
When it approaches the grain (bait), at that moment it turns its head and face several times to front and rear,
چون به نزد دانه آید پیش و پس ** چند گرداند سر و رو آن نفس
(As though to say), ‘Oh, I wonder whether there is a fowler in front of me or behind, so that for fear of him I should abstain from this food.’755
کای عجب پیش و پسم صیاد هست ** تا کشم از بیم او زین لقمه دست
Do thou see behind (thee) the story of (what happened to) the wicked; see before (thee) the death of (many a) friend and neighbour,
تو ببین پس قصه‌ی فجار را ** پیش بنگر مرگ یار و جار را
Whom He (God) destroyed without (using) any instrument: He is close to thee in every circumstance.
که هلاکت دادشان بی‌آلتی ** او قرین تست در هر حالتی
God inflicted torment (on them), and there is no mace or hand (employed): know, then, that God is one who deals justice (inflicts chastisement) without hands.
حق شکنجه کرد و گرز و دست نیست ** پس بدان بی‌دست حق داورکنیست
He who was saying, ‘If God exists, where is He?’ was confessing on the rack (of pain) that ’tis He (God).
آنک می‌گفتی اگر حق هست کو ** در شکنجه او مقر می‌شد که هو
He who was saying, ‘This is far-fetched and marvellous’ was shedding tears and crying, ‘O Thou who art nigh!’760
آنک می‌گفت این بعیدست و عجیب ** اشک می‌راند و همی گفت ای قریب
Since he has deemed it necessary to flee from the trap, (’tis strange that) the trap for thee is in fact stuck fast to thy (gaudy) feathers.
چون فرار از دام واجب دیده است ** دام تو خود بر پرت چفسیده است
I will tear out the pin of this ill-fated trap: I will not suffer bitter grief for the sake of (indulging) a desire.
بر کنم من میخ این منحوس دام ** از پی کامی نباشم طلخ‌کام
I have given thee this answer (which is) suitable to thy understanding: apprehend (its meaning) and do not avert thy face from seeking.
درخور عقل تو گفتم این جواب ** فهم کن وز جست و جو رو بر متاب
Snap this cord, which is greed and envy: remember (the text) on her neck a cord of palm-fibres.”
بسکل این حبلی که حرص است و حسد ** یاد کن فی جیدها حبل مسد
The reason why Khalíl (Abraham), on whom be peace, killed the crow, indicating (thereby) the subjugation of certain blameworthy and pernicious qualities in the disciple.
صفت کشتن خلیل علیه‌السلام زاغ را کی آن اشارت به قمع کدام صفت بود از صفات مذمومه‌ی مهلکه در مرید
There is no end and completion to this discourse. O Friend of God, why didst thou kill the crow?765
این سخن را نیست پایان و فراغ ** ای خلیل حق چرا کشتی تو زاغ
Because of the (Divine) command. What was the wisdom of the (Divine) command? A small part of the mysteries thereof must (now) be shown.
بهر فرمان حکمت فرمان چه بود ** اندکی ز اسرار آن باید نمود
The cawing and noisy cry of the black crow is ever asking for (long) life in this world.
کاغ کاغ و نعره‌ی زاغ سیاه ** دایما باشد به دنیا عمرخواه
Like Iblís, it (the crow) besought the holy and incomparable God for bodily life till the Resurrection.
هم‌چو ابلیس از خدای پاک فرد ** تا قیامت عمر تن درخواست کرد
He (Iblís) said, “Grant me a respite till the Day of Retribution.” Would that he had said, “We repent, O our Lord.”
O Thou who hast transmuted one clod of earth into gold, and another clod into the Father of mankind,780
ای مبدل کرده خاکی را به زر ** خاک دیگر را بکرده بوالبشر
Thy work is the transmutation of essences and (the showing of) munificence; my work is mistake and forgetfulness and error.
کار تو تبدیل اعیان و عطا ** کار من سهوست و نسیان و خطا
Transmute mistake and forgetfulness into knowledge: I am all choler, make me patience and forbearance.
سهو و نسیان را مبدل کن به علم ** من همه خلمم مرا کن صبر و حلم
O Thou who makest nitrous earth to be bread, and O Thou who makest dead bread to be life,
ای که خاک شوره را تو نان کنی ** وی که نان مرده را تو جان کنی
O Thou who makest the distracted soul to be a Guide, and O Thou who makest the wayless wanderer to be a Prophet,
ای که جان خیره را رهبر کنی ** وی که بی‌ره را تو پیغمبر کنی
Thou makest a piece of earth to be heaven, Thou givest increase in the earth from the stars.785
می‌کنی جزو زمین را آسمان ** می‌فزایی در زمین از اختران
Whosoever makes the Water of Life to consist of (the pleasures of) this world, death comes to him sooner than to the others.
هر که سازد زین جهان آب حیات ** زوترش از دیگران آید ممات
The eye of the heart (the inward eye) that contemplated the (spiritual) firmament perceived that here (in the sensible world) is a continual alchemy.
دیده‌ی دل کو به گردون بنگریست ** دید که اینجا هر دمی میناگریست
The harmonious cohesion of the patched garment, (which is) the body, without being stitched (together), is (owing to) the transmutation of essences and (to) an all-embracing elixir.
قلب اعیانست و اکسیری محیط ** ایتلاف خرقه‌ی تن بی‌مخیط
From the day when thou camest into existence, thou wert fire or air or earth.
تو از آن روزی که در هست آمدی ** آتشی یا بادی یا خاکی بدی
If thou hadst remained in that condition, how should this (present) height have been reached by thee?790
گر بر آن حالت ترا بودی بقا ** کی رسیدی مر ترا این ارتقا
The Transmuter did not leave thee in thy first (state of) existence: He established a better (state of) existence in the place of that (former one);
از مبدل هستی اول نماند ** هستی بهتر به جای آن نشاند
And so on till (He gave thee) a hundred thousand states of existence, one after the other, the second (always) better than the beginning.
هم‌چنین تا صد هزاران هستها ** بعد یکدیگر دوم به ز ابتدا
Regard (all change as derived) from the Transmuter, leave (ignore) the intermediaries, for by (regarding) the intermediaries thou wilt be come far from their Origin.
از مبدل بین وسایط را بمان ** کز وسایط دور گردی ز اصل آن
Wherever the intermediaries increase, union (with the Origin) is removed: (in proportion as) the intermediaries are less, the delight of (attaining to) union is greater.
واسطه هر جا فزون شد وصل جست ** واسطه کم ذوق وصل افزونترست
By knowing the intermediaries thy bewilderment (in God) is diminished: thy bewilderment gives thee admission to the (Divine) Presence.795
از سبب‌دانی شود کم حیرتت ** حیرت تو ره دهد در حضرتت
Thou hast gained these (successive) lives from (successive) deaths: why hast thou averted thy face from dying in Him?
این بقاها از فناها یافتی ** از فنااش رو چرا برتافتی
What loss was thine (what loss didst thou suffer) from those deaths, that thou hast clung (so tenaciously) to (this earthly) life, O rat?
زان فناها چه زیان بودت که تا ** بر بقا چفسیده‌ای ای نافقا
Since thy second (life) is better than thy first, therefore seek to die (to the world), and worship the Transmuter.
چون دوم از اولینت بهترست ** پس فنا جو و مبدل را پرست
O contumacious man, thou hast experienced a hundred thousand resurrections at every moment from the beginning of thy existence until now:
صد هزاران حشر دیدی ای عنود ** تاکنون هر لحظه از بدو وجود
From inanimateness (thou didst move) unconsciously towards (vegetal) growth, and from (vegetal) growth towards (animal) life and tribulation;800
از جماد بی‌خبر سوی نما ** وز نما سوی حیات و ابتلا
Again, towards reason and goodly discernments; again, towards (what lies) outside of these five (senses) and six (directions).
باز سوی عقل و تمییزات خوش ** باز سوی خارج این پنج و شش